Apparatus for making fertilizers.



No. 656,595. Patented Aug. 2|, I900. J. F. BUSSELLS.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING FERTILIZERS.

(Application filed 0012.5, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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VNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPI-IUS F. BUSSELLS, OF IRVINGTON, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN PROCESS COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING FERTILIZERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 656,595, dated August 21, 1900. Application filed October 5, 1898. Serial No. 692,668. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPHUS F. BUssELLs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Irvington, in the county of Lancaster and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Oon- Verting Matter into Fertilizers, of which the following is a specification,

This invention relates to an apparatus for treating matter with chemicals in order to prepare the same as an ingredient for use in the manufacture of commercial fertilizers.

The process consists in applying suitable chemicals, including an acid, to any animal or vegetable acidified matter,then passing the said matter into one end of a closed vessel, stirring and agitating the said matter in the vessel as it passes from one end to the other, and subjecting the matter while being stirred to the action of heated fluid and without exposing the matter to the atmosphere.

In order to practically work this improved continuous process, I have provided an apparatus, shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of the apparatus and shows certain parts in section. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section on the line 2 2.

The object of both the method and the apparatus hereinafter described is to treat on a large scale any vegetable or animal matter, such as cooked fish and garbage, with chemicals, including acid, as a step in the man ufacture of commercial fertilizers.

The apparatus will now be described.

A plural number of horizontal cylinders A AA say three in number or more orless are mounted one above the other and supported on a suitable stand or legs b. Each of the said cylinders is provided with the same internal mechanism. It will therefore be sufficient to describe the mechanism of only one. Each cylinder or tube has at its ends a T-joint, closed byheads c d, and a tubular shaft F extends lengthwise through the cylinder and projects through the heads to the outside, the shaft being revoluble in suitable stuffing-boxes at c. A spiral flange 9 surrounds the tubular shaft in the cylinder and extends from one end to the other. Agitatorarms are attached to the spiral flange g. The

arms are shown in Fig. l and comprise a shank 70, at the end of which is an angle-blade one side of the angle-blade being secured to the shank and the other projecting and serving as a paddle or stirrer. Within the cylinder the hollow shaft has small holes f for heated fluid, such as steam or hot air, to passfrom the shaft to the cylinder. At one end each hollow shaft is fitted to a stuffing box It, with which a steam or hot-air pipe 71. connects. The second cylinder A is supported near one end and above the lowermost cylinder by a suitable post 0, and at the other end is supported by a vertical tubular neck p, connecting and forming a passage between the two cylinders A A. This neck and passage is formed by one branch of the T-joint 4 on the lower cylinder, connecting with one branch of the cross-joint H on the second cylinder. 111 like mannera vertical tubularneck and passage-way 19 supports the third or topmost cylinder A at one end. This neck and passage 19 is formed by the connection of one branch from each of the two T-joints 2 3. The topmost cylinder at its other end is supported by the neck 0, which, however, has no passage through it, although exteriorly it has the same appearance as the tubular necks. The vertical passage in neck 0 is interrupted by a plate q, interposed between the T-joint 1 on the topmost cylinder and one branch of the cross-joint H on the second cylinder. The interposed plate q results in forming abottom recess at r in the T-joint 1 and a.- top recess rtinthe upper branch of the cross-joint H.

, These recesses if left open would be obj ectionable, and the objection is overcome by closing and filling them with suitable hard cement, such as Portland cement.

The lowermost cylinder A has at one end a depending tapered discharge-neck s. A vertical shaft 6 passes through the lower cylinder. Its upper end is abutted against a bearing a on the exterior of the second cylinder, and its lower end is provided with a tapered compressing-screw t, which fills or fits within the tapered discharge-neck. This vertical shaft has a miter-wheel o. It will be understood that as the finished product is about to be discharged it advances into the small diameter of the discharge-neck,where it is compacted or compressed, and thereby-it prevents the escape of the steam or hot air from the lower cylinder.

A feeding-in device of improved construe-V tion is provided and attached to the topmost cylinder, and consists of a horizontally-placed tapered tube L, whosesmall end connects with an opening l in the side of the cylinder-Wall.

feed-tube and projects through the headl" and on the outside has a pulley m to be driven by a belt or chain. A tapered compressingscrew n is on the shaft m. This construction of horizontal tapered tube, with its large end closed and its small end connecting with the cylinder on the side, insures that a supply of the matter may be continuouslyfed into the cylinder under conditions that will keep the feed-tube so choked or jammedfull of matter as to prevent escape of steam-pressure or hot airfrom the cylinder and enableconsiderable pressure to be maintained within the cylinder. This construction and arrangement for horizontally feeding will operate satisfactorily whether the mass of matter that is being fed-be in either a dry or a very wet condition.

The tubular shaft in the lowermost cylinder is driven byapulley i. This shaft has a gear-wheel w, which engages a wheelw' on the shaft of the second cylinder, and said wheel to engages a wheel to on the shaft in the topmost cylinder. The same arrangement of gear-wheels is at both ends.

The vertical shaftihas a miter-pinion o, as already stated, and is driven by a miter-wheel oionra'short'shaft, carrying a gear-Wheel y, which in turn is driven by a gear-rim g on thewheelw of the shaft end projecting from the second cylinder.

.Bythis construction the matter'to be treated is entere'dintothe funnel or hopper k and fed into the upper vessel A which is kept tight by the action of the feed device. Here the said matter is stirred and agitated without exp'osure'tothe atmosphere. While the stirring is going on, hot fluid, such as steam or hot air, is entered into the vessel and the temperature is raised and pressure is created. Thereby the heated chemicals, including acid, attack the matter, whereby the phosphoric acid in the matter becomes soluble. The treated mass then passes to'the next vessel A, also kept tight, where the stirring and agitating are continued under the same pressure, though in this vessel the temperature maybe modified from what exists in either of the other vessels, and said treated mass then passes to the lowermost tight vessel A and is further stirred and agitated and finally discharged at s. The product is then ready to go to a drier.

It will be seen that in the operation of this apparatus the several vessels or cylinders will contain matter in all stages of treatment, some having just been entered, and therefore not yet treated at all, some which :has been partly treated, and some which has been fully treated and just ready to be'discharged.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. An apparatus for processing vegetable oranimal matter comprisinga plural number of cylinders, one above the otherandcommunicating with each otherso as to form "acoutinuous passage-way through the severalcylinders; arevoliible agitator within eac'hcylinder; a horizontal tapered feed-neck having its small end entering the topmost cylinder; a tapered compressing-screw insaid horizontal feed-neck; and a hopper or funnel attached to thelarge end of said horizontal neck.

2. An apparatus for processing matter for fertilizers comprisingin combinationa plural number of horizontal cylindersone above the other; .a'tubular joint communicating from the side of an uppercylinder .at one end to the side of the cylinder-nex-t'below; .a depending tapered discharge-neck at one end-of the lowermost cylinder; a vertical shaft which passes diametrically through the lowermost cylinder and extends down the said dischargeneck and has a compressing-screw in said neck; a revolu'blesha'ft in each cylinder and the projecting ends of the shafts connected by gears; and a short shaftgearing with said gears and also gearing with and driving the vertical shaft in the discharge-neck.

In testimony whereof I'affix mysignature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPHUS F. BUSSELLS.

Witnesses:

CHAPIN A. FERGUSON, CHARLES B. MANN, Jr. 

